Deep Impact And High Pressure: Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is the meat-and-potatoes course on the menu of massage treatments, offering concentrated therapy at a more basic level than most other types of rubdowns. Thanks to the rising interest in personal wellness and the growing popularity of sports activities, many types of massage therapies are now commonly practiced in the United States. It’s easy to confuse one type with another, but every massage discipline has its own techniques, applications and benefits, so what works for your best friend may not be appropriate for you. Learn more about deep tissue massage and discover if it’s a good personal option.

A Departure from SwedenYou can thank the Swedes for putting the nineteenth century to excellent use by developing Swedish massage, a long-time standard of health spas and fitness centers around the world. Through its smooth, long, strokes and steady movements, Swedish massage promotes relaxation and eases discomfort. However, it is a superficial type of therapy aimed at relieving routine problems from stress and injury. Deep tissue massage is a twentieth-century technique that uses more intense pressure and targets deeper tissue in specific areas. As a result, it is less rhythmic and more forceful than a typical tension-reducing massage, providing relief for problems of a more chronic, deep-seated nature.

Fear FactorWith all this emphasis on stronger, deeper manipulation of muscles, it’s reasonable to wonder if this is a massage that will make the motto “no pain, no gain” leap vividly to mind as you lie there wincing. Deep tissue massage is not the same soothing rubdown as its Swedish relative, because it maneuvers and interacts with muscle groups and tissues farther down in the body’s layers, but that doesn’t mean it should be painful.

Opinions about its level of comfort vary, with some people finding this type of massage to be rather uncomfortable and others enjoying its intense pressure and professional expertise has a lot to do with this. If your therapist is well versed in human anatomy, you will be less likely to experience pain during the session. Most practitioners warn that there may be residual soreness for a day or two after the treatment. Once this recovery period is over, you should expect to feel significant improvement in levels of pain and range of motion compared to your pre-treatment state.

Do You Have a Bad Connection?Anyone who has ever used a telephone knows the importance of maintaining a good connection and it’s as vital to our bodily health as it is to our phone service. Under our skin and out of sight, we all have connective tissue that resembles a cobweb but consists of much tougher material. Known as fascia, this specialized system is a continuous, head-to-toe band of fibrous connective tissue that binds, separates, or envelops all structures of the body. Deep tissue massage targets the deep layers of muscles, tendons and ligaments as well as the fascia pertaining to them. For this reason, this technique is also called myofascial release (myo for “muscle” and fascial for “band”). If you visualize the uninterrupted fascia that spans our bodies and connects all the various parts, it’s easy to understand how crucial this network is to our well-being.

That well-being is compromised when the fascia becomes inflamed, grows scar tissue or suffers from trauma. This trauma can arise from an injury such as whiplash or a fall, or it can be the result of surgery or habitual poor posture. When impaired, connective tissue can become inflexible or bind together in unnatural ways, developing knots (adhesions) or restrictions. This sets a domino effect into motion, as an impaired or malfunctioning fascia affects all the associated tissues, putting pressure on muscles, blood vessels, nerves, or organs. Restricted muscles and tissues also prevent essential blood, oxygen and nutrients from reaching their destinations. Symptoms of restricted fascia include pain in various parts of the body and a reduced range of motion, but standard diagnostic tests such as x-rays and CAT scans are of no use in identifying this problem. It’s likely that many people with unexplained headaches or mobility issues are unknowingly suffering from fascial restrictions.

The Beauty of Balance and FlowYour body is a marvelously intricate system of interdependent parts, all working together to maintain a constant state of balance and a regular rate of flow. The trouble with all complicated systems is that a disruption in one area is likely to affect the whole structure and that’s exactly what happens when muscles, tendons, ligaments and tissues suffer from trauma or strain. Muscle fibers and connective tissue bunch up into knots that prevent normal movement, cause physical pain and block fluid flow. Myofascial release works by loosening the muscles and smoothing out the kinks.

This “unsticking” of fibers neutralizes tension patterns that have become permanent fixtures in deeper layers and restores the natural, healthy flow of substances. The proper flow is vital for both incoming and outgoing fluids, so deep-down massage offers tremendous benefits in both directions. Toxins that have become trapped by the restricted fascia are released (hence the name myofascial release) and eventually removed by the body as waste. Because the massage can unleash a good deal of toxins, therapists recommend that you drink a lot of water afterward to flush them out of your system faster.

In addition to letting the toxins out, myofascial release invites important fluids back in, making the affected area sounder and suppler but also improving the general health of the body. Poor circulation is the culprit in any number of ailments that influence overall health and well-being, as it restricts the flow of oxygen, nutrients and a host of bodily fluids. These include blood as well as interstitial, lymph and cerebro-spinal fluids. Reduced circulation may be at the heart of your ills and myofascial release may be the answer.

Different Strokes for Different FolksMyofascial release therapy is not necessary if you have been getting traditional or Swedish massages on a regular basis and those sessions have been relieving your distressing symptoms. If you have never tried any kind of massage, it’s difficult to know if you should opt for a standard or deep version. As a general guideline, the following conditions are likely to benefit from corrective and therapeutic myofascial release:

- Sedentary habits that nevertheless exert continual stress on body, such as long hours spent in front of a computer in a hunched-over position

- Headaches

- Generalized body pain

Who Kneads Knots?If you decide to try deep tissue massage, find a reputable practitioner who has met all of your area’s licensing requirements and can furnish references from satisfied clients. Myofascial release therapy demands specialized knowledge and experience, so a Swedish massage therapist is not necessarily qualified to give you this type of care. Be fussy about entrusting your health and safety to someone else and your body will thank you repeatedly.

How Bad is Your Back Pain?So your back hurts? Take our back pain quiz to see how severe it really is. You may need to see a doctor but have just been avoiding it thinking it will get better. On the other hand, your back pain may be more normal than you suspect. Find out where your back pain ranks in this ergonomics quiz.